DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this invention, the term "cable" is intended to include electrical cable, insulated electric wire, uninsulated electric wire, twisted wire cable, fiber optic cable, plastic cable, and all cable conforming to the "Commercial Building telecommunications Cabling Standard TIA/EIA568-A and ISO/IEC 11801, which are incorporated by reference herein.
Cable routing is a problem where cable is pre-assembled, and excess cable length has been provided to assure sufficient length for connection of a plurality of cable to a fixed location. Where numerous cables are connected to a fixed location, the excess length of each of the cables becomes a problem, creating a "rat's nest" of tangled cable, which is difficult to work with, and may create a safety hazard where emergency repairs are quickly needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,988 issuing to Ralph Ballock on Jul. 21, 1970 discloses a cable support for temporarily reducing the overall length and to eliminate tangled excess lengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,649 issuing to Willem Haarbosch on Oct. 9, 1984, discloses a storage case for an electric cord.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,128 issuing to Alan Thomsen on Dec. 1, 1992, discloses an anti-tangle spaced stiffener for elongated flexible members, to prevent tangling and for folding the elongated flexible member into a compact storage relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,100 issuing to Gregory Andel on Sep. 1, 1992 discloses a wire separator apparatus having a cover flap and parallel mounting flanges.